Cooling device for friction-clutches.



PATENTED DEC. 3, 190?. J. H. B. BRYAN;

COOLING DEVICE FOR FRIGTION GLUTOHES.

APPLICATION FILED APBfZG. 1907.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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' JOHN H. B. BRYAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK; ASSIGNOR TO NILES-BEMENT-POND COMPANY,

01*" JERSEY CITY,;NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

COOLING DEVICE FOR FRICTION-CLUTGHES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. BIBitYAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bufduly heated when the platen is reciprocated with a short stroke inasmuch as a slight slippage occurs every time a clutch is coupled and uncoupled and the intervals betweencoupling and uncoupling is so short that the parts do'not have-time to cool ofi.

The object of this invention is to provide a cooling device of simple and efficient construction for clutches of this character wherev by the same are prevented from becoming unduly heated, thus avoiding injury to the clutches and maintaining the same in good working condition regardless of whether the planer is making long or short cuts.

In the accompanying drawings oonsisting of 2 sheets: Figure l is a side elevation of a planer having its, driving clutches provided with my cooling device. tion in line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, in line 3-3, Fig.1.- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the clutch and adjacent parts of the cooling device. Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical cross sections, on an enlarged scale, in the correspondingly num bered lines in Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A represents the main frame of the planer which may be of any suitable construction and a the transverse driven shaft with which the reciprocating platen a is operatively connected in any suitable or well known manner.

B represents the clutch shaft which is connected at one end with the planer shaft (1. by intermeshing bevel gear wheels 6, b.

At opposite ends of .the clutch shaft are arranged two clutch gear wheels C, C which are rotated in opposite directions from a Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 26. 1907. Serial No. 370,370-

Fig. 2 is a cross sec- Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

main shaft D by means of a gear wheel (1 at one end of the main shaft and meshing with the clutch gear wheel 0, a counter shaft E connected at one end with the other end of the main shaft by an intermeshing pair of gear wheels e, e ,and a gear pinion f arranged on the opposite end of the counter shaft and meshing with the other clutch gear wheel 0, as shown in Fig. l. The main shaft may be driven in any suitable way, for instance, as shown in Fig. 1, by an electric motor F having its shaft provided with a gear wheel G and a ear wheel 9 meshing on opposite sides with t e motor gear wheel G and the main shaft gear wheel The clutch ear wheels maybe connected with the clutc shaft by pneumatic friction clutches each of which consists of a cylindrical' drum Hsecured to the respective clutch gear wheel, and two sets of clutch disks h, h arranged about the clutch shaft within the drum, the disks of one set being splined to a ranged an axially movable cylinder I which receives an axially stationary piston i secured. to the clutch shaft. Upon admitting air through a assage 7' in the clutch shaft into one end 0 the cylinder I the latter will press together the disks of one clutch while upon admitting air. through a passage 3' in the clutch shaft into the other end of the cylindex"v I the disks of the other clutch will be pressed together, thereby enabling the clutch shaft to be turned in either direction depending on which of the two pneumatic friction clutches is operated.

Before the'two sets of disk of a clutch grip each other sufficiently firm to cause them to turn together and during the initial uncoupling action of the same a slight slippage under pressure occurs between the two sets of clutch disks. When the planer laten is working with a long stroke sufliclent time elapses between the cou ling and uncou ling of the clutch to enab e the same to ra iate the heat which is developed by the frictional contact between the two sets of disks,-

thus preventing undue heating of the parts. If, however, the planer platen is operated very rapidly as occurs when the work reuires only a short stroke of the laten; the

c utches are reversed more rapidly and the interval of time between the coupling and uncoupling of a clutch is reduced corresp ondingly, and in the absence of any provision to prevent it excessive heating ofthe clutches and injury to the parts would occur at this time because the heat developed during the operationof the clutches would not radiate fast enough. In order to overcomethe difiiculty, the radiation of the heat from the clutches is facilitated by my cooling device which is conair forcing device.

structed as follows: K represents an air supply or blast ipe which is arranged adjacent to said clutc ies parallel with their axes and referably at the lower outer side thereof.

lhis pipe is provided opposite the clutch barrel with air outlet 0 enings or longitudinal d at one end by a cap L while its 0 posite end is connected with the slots 1, Z and is close outlet of t I e case M of a rotary fan or other he outlet openings are so formed in the blast pi e that the airjets issuing therefrom are 0 flat or sheet like form and directed upwardly and inwardly against the curved outer surface of the clutch barrels on a tangent relatively thereto. The air upon striking the clutch barrels absorbs the heat which is developed by the coupling and uncoupling of the clutches and causes reached later is permitted to escape more 5 fre'ely, thereby equalizing the distribution of air between the two clutches.

For the purpose of causing the air' to remain in contact with the clutch barrels a hood considerable period of time a retaining y ex- N is provided. This hood preferab tends upwardly from said pipe above the jet openings Z, Z and concentrically around about one third of the eriphery of the clutch barrels and is provide at its lower end with a curved flange n which fits the outer side of the blast pipe and is secured thereto by bolts 0 or otherwise. The air is thus compelled to absorb the maximumamount of heat frornthenlutohs before leaving the same at the upper end of the hood.

The blades of the fan may be rbtated from any suitable source but preferably by abelt P passing around a pulley p on the fan-shaft m and around a pulley R which is mounted on'a shaft 7 connected with and forming an extension of the main driving shaft D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

I claim as my invention:

'1. The combination of a pair of friction clutches, and an air supply pipe arranged adj ac'ent'to said clutches and havin one end closed and its other end connecte with an air forcing device while its side is provided with an air outlet opening opposite each of said clutches, the opening nearest the air supplying device being of smaller area than the openin farther away from the same, substantiall y as set forth.

2. The combination of a pair .of friction clutches, an air supply pipe arranged adjacent to the clutches and having an outlet' opening opposite each clutch, a rotary-fan having the outlet of its case connected with said pipe, a driving shaft having an extension, reversing gearing interposed between said shaft and clutches, a pulley arranged on said shaft extension, and a belt passing around said pulley and a pulley on the shaft of said fan, substantially as set forth.

. Witness my JOHN H. BRYAN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. CAMP,

T. J. HASSETT, Jr.

hand this 11th day of April, 

